Warmer weather expected for Tuesday; mercury to drop on Friday

Taipei-Taiwan will warm up on Tuesday as a cold air mass weakens, with highs predicted to reach above 20 degrees Celsius in most parts of the country, according to the Central Weather Bureau.

The mercury will continue to climb in the next two days before dropping to as low as 11 degrees in northern Taiwan on Friday when another stronger cold air system is expected to arrive, the weather bureau said.

On Tuesday, the highs will reach between 18 and 22 degrees in the northern and eastern part of the island and between 24 and 26 degrees in central and southern Taiwan, it said.

Most of the island will be partly cloudy or sunny, with some parts of eastern and northern Taiwan likely to see occasional showers, it said.

On Wednesday, daytime highs are expected to climb to around 23 degrees in northern Taiwan and 25 to 26 degrees in central and southern Taiwan, the bureau said.

Temperatures will fall slightly on Thursday, when rain is forecast for northern and eastern Taiwan as a weather front arrives, it said.

The weather front will be followed by a stronger cold air mass, which will cause temperatures to fall to as low as 11 degrees in northern Taiwan and eastern Taiwan's Yilan County, starting Friday, the bureau said.

Southern Taiwan and Hualien and Taitung counties in eastern Taiwan will see temperatures drop to between 13 and 15 degrees Celsius, it said.

The cold weather will remain until Jan. 23, but the weather will be dry in most of Taiwan starting Saturday, the bureau said.